Episode 488: Only the Finest Listener Emails
Date July 9, 2014 Summary Ben and and Sam banter about records they’d like to see broken and answer listener emails about the Yankees’ facial hair policy, trying not to hit homers, and more. Topics * Avoiding hitting home runs * Giancarlo Stanton * Yankees' facial hair policy * 2014 vs. 1980 records * Record chases that would be fun to watch * Records broken by year * Projection accuracy Intro My Morning Jacket, "Off the Record" Outro Episode outtake sound clip Banter * Sam constantly talks over Ben as he is introducing the show. * Webb/Albers Update: Ryan Webb has not had a game finished since May 29th. This is tied for his second longest streak of games without a game finished.. Email Questions * David: "What if overnight a rule was enacted that made home runs score negative runs. Could hitters adjust their mechanics to avoid hitting home runs? Or would the need to hit the ball as hard as possible outweigh the risk of hitting it too hard?" * Andrew: "I just read a funny little story on the interwebs about how Brandon McCarthy's wife was happy about his trade to the Yankees because it means he'll have to shave his beard. It got me wondering though, what if he refuses to shave? What happens to McCarthy and/or the trade? Would the trade be nullified with all players returning to their previous teams? Would McCarthy simply be benched for the remainder of the season with no pay until he shaves? Or would the Yankees release him and make him a free agent? I understand that if you choose to sign with the Yankees as a free agent you agree to adhere to their facial hair policies. But how about those guys who are forced to go there as part of a trade?" * James (Fayetteville, AR): "Has any sabermetrician ever put themselves in, let's say spring training of 1982, collected all the data that would have been available had advanced metrics been around at that time, projected what would happen that year and then compared it to what actually happened? If someone does that for every baseball season with reliable statistics will there be an era in baseball that is closest to the advanced metric projections or one that is furthest? I wonder if the confounding variables of our time (pitcher injuries, instant replay, etc) make our era more or less predictable than others. Perhaps if you place humans on a field and make them play 162 games the results will always be similarly unpredictable." Play Index * Sam wonders who is setting records that would be records in 1980 (his birth year) but are not records currently? * Yu Darvish currently has 11.03 K/9, higher than the record for a starter in 1980 which was 10.7. * Other 1980 records that are on pace to be broken this season are FIP, K/9 for relievers, K/BB, and stolen base percentage. Notes * Sam thinks that in professional slow pitch softball you are limited to home many home runs you can hit in a game. After reaching your maximum if you hit a home run it counts as an out. * Ben thinks that Giancarlo Stanton could adjust to hit fewer home runs but as a result would hit more groundouts. * Ben asked a former Yankees employee about the facial hair policy. He thinks that if a player refused they would have a case on an appeal. The employee also says that some star players have gotten away with more stubble depending on how well they are playing. * Ben's top records he would track during a season: single season triples, steals, and a 57 game hitting streak, and highest caught stealing percentage for a catcher. * The record for relief innings in a season without a start is 208 1/3 innings. Links * Effectively Wild Episode 488: Only the Finest Listener Emails Category:Email Episodes Category:Episodes